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The Media Minister says the Broadcasting Act needs updating to ensure a level playing field. Warner Brothers Discovery has confirmed Newshub will shut July 5. TVNZ has also confirmed plans to cut its Midday, Tonight, Fair Go and Sunday shows. Media Minister Melissa Lee says she's written a cabinet paper, but wouldn't give any further details. "There is a Cabinet process, there is a Cabinet paper-...

Swapping red meat for herring, sardines and anchovies could save thousands of lives and help tackle the climate crisis, according to new research. According to BMJ Global Health, red meat consumption is linked to an increase in diet-related diseases and replacing it with forage fish could save 750,000 lives in the long run. Kingi restaurant owner and chef Tom Hishon says these fish are a great sou...

A sad day for Newshub staff with closure confirmed, and about 250 jobs lost. Warner Bros. Discovery have told staff there's no planned deal 'at this stage' with third parties. Newshub investigations reporter Michael Morrah says it's tough. "It's a huge loss for the country and for democracy- and of course, it's devastating for us here at Newshub." Newshub's newsroom, website and TV news will go of...

A mortgage adviser says New Zealanders are feeling the strain of heavy home loan rates. The Reserve Bank's held the Official Cash Rate at 5.5 percent. Adviser Malcolm Knight says a lot of home owners are asking for interest-only periods or loan repayment holidays. "If you can get through this next 12 to 18 month period- just hunker down, get through the tough credit crunch period - the light is at...

As you know, truancy has been a topic of some discussion in the last week, especially with Associate Education Minster David Seymour's plans to get kids back into class. I've been puzzling over it, especially since it popped up last week, over why it is that we have this truancy problem and why we have parents on both ends of the parenting spectrum who are as casual as they are about school. Why h...

Spain will scrap its 'golden visa' program geared towards foreigners who make significant investments in real estate. The program rewarded foreign investors who invested at least 500,000 euros in property to live and work in Spain for three years. UK correspondent Enda Brady says these investors were locking locals out of the property market- and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez decided enough was eno...

Tonight on the Huddle, Matt Heath from Radio Hauraki and broadcaster Paddy Gower joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Government has unveiled a scheme designed to combat truancy- including publishing weekly attendance data, giving parents health guidance to decide if a child's sick enough to miss school and creating a traffic light scheme to track attendan...

New Zealand's bracing itself for another downpour- but it's not all bad news. Severe rain is expected to hit the country, and farmers across the drought-stricken South Island are hoping this forecast breaks a months-long dry spell. The Country's Jamie Mackay says some farmers have had to truck in water to keep things going. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report from the Climate Change Commission warned New Zealand will need to tackle methane emissions to keep up with 2050 climate goals. The report warned that the nation would have to reduce stock rates by 23 percent for dairy, and 12 percent for sheep and beef by the 2050 deadline. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie unpacked the political debate surrounding methane emissions. LIST...

It's a good polling day for the Green Party. The latest Taxpayers' Union Curia survey has the Greens up 3.3 points to 14.6 percent. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this is down to Chlöe Swarbrick - following on from some rocky months for the Party. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of tomorrow's OCR update, one expert is challenging the Reserve Bank to start cutting rates ASAP. The Official Cash Rate is widely expected to stay at 5.5 percent, but Squirrel CEO David Cunningham believes the RBNZ should ease up. Cunningham says monetary policy changes have a one to two-year lag before they flow through to the wider economy. "What that means is- the Reserve Bank should alw...

Inland Revenue is sending the construction sector a final warning to get on top of business tax obligations. 40,000 businesses with outstanding debt and overdue returns will be sent emails and letters in the coming months. Inland Revenue spokesperson Richard Philp says the current outstanding tax debt sits just shy of a billion dollars. "We'll be writing to most - some we'll try to prompt with a t...

The lights are on and the hospital beds are in place, but the new surgical building on the grounds of North Shore Hospital remains unused. The $300 million building was supposed to open its first couple floors last December, then this month. Sarah Dalton from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists suspects there's issues with staffing and the operational budget. "When there is that level...

The Associate Minister for Education says improved public health advice will help define what illnesses can keep kids off school. As part of an attendance action plan, David Seymour has announced weekly attendance reporting and is proposing categorising the worst truancy with a traffic light system. Minister David Seymour says the number of sickness-related absences has doubled in the last five ye...

Kiwi plant-based meat replacement company Sunfed is shutting down as inventory runs out and investors leave. The company made chicken, beef and bacon alternatives using yellow pea protein. Founder Shama Lee has announced its closure on social media, saying the plant-based bubble's burst. Marketing expert Bodo Lang says products like this fail after not making money, despite being full of promise....

There's a bright spot among major cuts at TVNZ. The state broadcaster has confirmed it's axing news and current affairs shows, Midday, Tonight and Fair Go. But it is proposing Fair Go's brand will continue on its digital platforms, with four new roles created. E Tu negotiations specialist, Michael Wood, says it is an improvement on the initial proposal. "I think some of the clear support from New...

The ongoing youth curfew in Alice Springs will be extended for another six days to cover the entire school holiday period, authorities revealed.  The curfew bars people under the age of 18 to enter the region's town centre between the hours of 6pm to 6am. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says residents has responded positively to these changes. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Eden Park will play host to Saturday's Super Rugby Aupiki final - as the Warriors clash against the Manly Sea Eagles. The Blues claimed hosting rights with their final round win over the Hurricanes Poua and meet the Chiefs Manawa on Saturday. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns in South Auckland, as unsupervised dogs roam neighbourhoods and kill scores of cats. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, there's been an uptick in dogs in Auckland and residents are concerned. Conifer Grove Residents' Association chair Kelvin Hieatt says a community group went out most nights between 10pm and 5am, tracking down four identified dogs. "Once the black female dog was cau...

If you hadn't already realised it, then you will now because the closure of Sunfed Foods should have brought you up to speed - the plant-based food craze is over. I don’t wanna be the one to say- "I told you so", but I did. February 2020, I basically said fake meat is not a thing, it's not going to catch on. And that is when I met the woman from Sunfed, who actually tried to change my mind. Shama...

The UN's atomic watchdog has warned the recent drone attack Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia power plant has raised the risk of a 'major nuclear accident'. Russia has claimed Ukraine was behind the attack- a claim Ukraine has denied involvement in. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has outlined the risks of this attack. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!  Trust in the media throughout New Zealand has plummeted following a steady decline since 2020, according to new research. Is the media being dragged down by biases? What lessons can news organisations learn from this res...

The Climate Commission has recently released their latest targets its fourth emissions budget, covering 2036 to 2040. The Commission has urged the Government to phase out petrol car imports by 2040 and bolster renewable energy and methane-reducing tech on farms.  Chair Rod Carr says changes in land use will have to take place as the climate turns around. "Already, dairying in Northland is increasi...

Prime Minister Luxon will travel to Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines from April 14 - 20. This trip is expected to signal the Government's commitment to deepen New Zealand’s international engagement, particularly in South East Asia. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan explains what New Zealand can offer these potential international partners. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener f...

The Government today unveiled nine goals to be publicly reported on each quarter from mid-year. These include reducing violent crime and youth offending, shortening emergency stays and planned care waits, keeping kids in school and helping them achieve better results and sticking to 2050 climate goals. ZB senior political correspondent says the Government is taking on some extra risks with this sc...